Antimicrobial filters for hospital air and water systems

世界上大多数人现在都住在城市，出行也更多了。因此，我们更有可能接触到几十年前由于与更多人的互动而不会接触到的感染。环境在一些感染的传播中起着重要作用，通过更好地过滤水和空气，有可能减少这种疾病的传播。目前使用的一些过滤系统可以物理地阻止细菌等病原体。然而，这些系统无法阻止病毒颗粒，价格昂贵，需要频繁维护和小心处置。该项目的目的是设计一种空气过滤器和一种水过滤器，以有效地杀灭细菌和病毒，从而减少环境中的细菌和病毒的数量。这些过滤器需要的维护更少，生产成本也更低。在项目期间，我们将首先测试各种纳米粒子的抗菌效果。然后对这些材料进行化学修饰，以便将它们合并到适合水和空气过滤的材料中。含有抗菌纳米颗粒的过滤器将使用由伦敦大学学院开发的EPSRC资助的新旋转技术来生产。一旦我们生产出抗菌过滤材料，我们将测试它们杀灭空气中病毒和水中细菌的能力。我们将用不同浓度的抗菌纳米颗粒和不同的深度来测试过滤器。我们还将确保过滤器在真实世界中使用的流速下有效。首先，抗菌过滤器将是医疗保健行业最感兴趣的产品，但它们也将与繁忙的公共建筑(如学校和疗养院)和运输工具(如飞机)相关。此外，过滤器将能够氧化非生物材料，如焦油和污染颗粒，并将改善一系列室内环境的空气质量。在项目期间，我们将与工业合作伙伴(包括世界上最大的过滤公司Pall Corporation)和临床医生合作，以确保我们生产出可行的产品。在项目结束时，该技术将经过验证，并准备扩大生产，我们计划为一个与业界合作的项目申请进一步的资金，以便做到这一点。

Most of the world's population is now living in cities and travelling more. As a result we are more likely to come into contact with infections that we would not have been exposed to just a few decades ago due to interactions with more people. The environment plays an important role in the transmission of some infections and it is possible to reduce the transmission of such disease by better filtration of water and air. Some filtration systems are currently used which physically stop pathogens such as bacteria. However these systems cannot stop virus particles, are expensive, require frequent maintenance and careful disposal. The aim of this project is to design one air and one water filter which will actively kill bacteria and viruses, thereby reducing their numbers in the environment. These filters will require less maintenance and be inexpensive to produce. During the project, we will first test the antimicrobial effect of a variety of nanoparticles. These will then be modified chemically so that they can be incorporated into materials that are suitable for water and air filtration. The filters containing the antimicrobial nanoparticles will be produced using a new EPSRC funded spinning technology developed at UCL. Once we have produced the antimicrobial filtration materials, we will test their ability to kill viruses in air and bacteria in water. We will test filters with different concentrations of antimicrobial nanoparticles and with different depths. We will also make sure that the filters are effective at flow rates that are used in the real world. The antimicrobial filters will be of most interest to the healthcare industry in the first instance, but they will also be relevant to busy public buildings (such as schools and care homes) and transport vehicles (such as airplanes). Furthermore, the filters will be capable of oxidising non-biological materials, like tar and pollution particulates and will improve air quality in a range of indoor environments. During the project we will be collaborating with industrial partners (including Pall Corporation, the world's biggest filtration company) and clinicians to ensure that we produce a viable product. At the end of the project, the technology will be validated and ready for scale-up production and we plan to apply for further funding for a collaborative project with industry in order to do this.